Sam Claflin won the hearts of many with his breakout role as Finnick Odair in the dystopian franchise, The Hunger Games. While Catching Fire catapulted the star into Hollywood, it wasn’t his first franchise. Only a year prior, a slightly younger Claflin starred as William in the first Snow White and the Huntsman film. His character was brought back for the sequel, which was released a few years later. From there, the actor made a name for himself in multiple genres of films and even in the hit show, Peaky Blinders, where he appeared in the show’s last two seasons.
Claflin may have had his time in action films, but it’s his roles in dramas that earned him his heartthrob title. In both Love, Rosie, and Me Before You, Claflin plays the romantic lead, albeit both leads are completely different. Love, Rosie was a love triangle film, while Me Before You featured a handicapped Clafin and his caregiver, played by Emilia Clarke.
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8 Snow White and the Huntsman / The Huntsman: Winter’s War
Roth Films
While his role in The Hunger Games franchise may have kickstarted Claflin’s career, it was actually his supporting role as William in the Snow White and the Huntsman that started his career. The film, which spanned into a franchise, took a darker take on the classic Disney film Snow White. In the first film, Kristen Stewart plays Snow White and Charlize Theron portrays the wicked stepmother named Ravenna, a witch who literally sucks the beauty out of women to keep herself young and powerful. When Snow White escapes Ravenna’s capture, The Huntsman (Chris Hemsworth) is tasked with finding her. Halfway through the film, William also joins in and the two men fight to protect their princess.
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The franchise helped show Claflin’s ability to act as a knight-in-shining armor. A role that Claflin portrays in almost all of his films regardless of genre. Although his role in the franchise does not amount to lead character screen time, it does show his ability to hold the attention of the viewers within his limited screen time.
7 Enola Holmes
Netflix
Enola Holmes is a Netflix original film that stars Claflin among other big-name cast mates like Millie Bobby Brown, Henry Cavill, and Helena Bonham Carter. He plays Mycroft Holmes, brother of Enola (Brown) and Sherlock Holmes (Cavill) in 1884 England. The premise of the film mainly stars Enola Holmes, who wakes on the morning of her 16th birthday to find her mother (Bonham Carter) has disappeared. Now, under the care of her older brothers, Enola rebels against their wishes for her to attend a finishing school and decides to look for her mother. Will she be able to be as sleuth-y as her older brothers and solve the mystery behind her mother’s disappearance?
The film was a big success when it released back in 2020 on Netflix. A sequel is headed to Netflix in November 2022, although many were surprised to see Claflin will not be reprising his role from the first film. While viewers will miss his character, they can rewatch the first film anytime they wish to see him!
6 The Hunger Games franchise
Lionsgate
Claflin first appeared in the second installment of The Hunger Games franchise Catching Fire. His character Finnick Odair is a charming previous victor of The Hunger Games, who was selected to join Katniss and Peeta in the Quarter Quell aka the 75th Annual Hunger Games. He became an ally to Katniss, despite her original distaste for him, and ended up helping her escape at the end of the second film. In the third and fourth installments, Finnick was a soldier who helped fight alongside, his now close friend, Katniss. He used his “secrets,” which he collected over the years of being passed around the Capitol to help win more people over to the “good side”. His character arc was one of the better ones as he started out seemingly obsessed with himself, only to prove one of the more selfless in the franchise.
5 Adrift
Adrift is a survival film that stars Claflin alongside Shailene Woodley in a based on a true story film of a young couple whose boat wrecks during a hurricane that hits while they are out at sea. Claflin and Woodley play the real-life couple Richard Sharp and Tami Oldham, respectively. Part of what makes this film a moving testament to the true events was the chemistry between Claflin and Woodley. Although Woodley is the main character, Claflin is one of the few characters she interacts with as 95% of the film takes place while the two are out to sea.
At the start of the film, Claflin is his usual charming self, but once the hurricane hits and he is hurt, it’s up to Woodley’s character to help keep the two of them safe until rescue comes. Spoiler alert: when it is revealed only one of these two is actually alive, it turned an already thrilling movie into an even better one.
4 Journey’s End
Fluidity Films
Journey’s End is a war film that takes place in Aisne in 1918. Claflin plays Captain Stanhope, who is a mentally-disintegrating young Officer of a group of British Officers. Stanhope is an alcoholic who is tasked with the imminent threat of the advancing Germans. As the threat of an attack dooms closer, the men find themselves thinking of their past lives. Fans of the film claim the film’s success due to the almost melancholy feel and tense-driven scenes. In the film, Claflin especially shows the two sides of soldiers in war — the stiff upper lip and the whiskey-soaked psychosis of the men in private.
3 Peaky Blinders
BBC Studios
Peaky Blinders follows a gangster family set in England in the 1900s. The Shelby family who runs the gang is best known for wearing razor blades sewn into the peaks of their caps. Cillian Murphy plays the lead role of Thomas Shelby who is the head of the Peaky Blinders. The Shelby brothers are a group of men who are known for doing many illegal things, despite Tommy’s desire to earn truthful money. As the seasons’ progress, the group squares off against new antagonists who threaten to stop the Peaky Blinders.
In 2019, Claflin joined the cast for the fifth and sixth seasons of the hit show. He plays the character of Oswald Mosley who is a man of many titles, though to the Peaky Blinders he is known as “the Devil”. He takes on the role of the main antagonist and boy does he do a great job at being the villain.
2 Love, Rosie
Love, Rosie is based on the novel by Rosie Dunne called Where Rainbows End. It is a rom-com that stars Claflin alongside Lily Collins. The pair play childhood friends turned into something more, or at least many attempts at something more, but the time was never right. Will they ever be able to be in love with each other at the same time? This heartfelt rom-com is the perfect mix of cute, predictability, and funny. The entire time you watch the film, you find yourself wishing for Rosie and Alex to finally have the courage to admit their feelings for one another. It’s a beautiful film that is often looked over despite the chemistry and great plot.
1 Me Before You
Warner Bros.
Me Before You is a controversial film that is based on a novel series by Jojo Moyes. It stars Claflin alongside Emilia Clarke in a beautiful and touching love story that has received much speculation due to the topic of assisted suicide. Despite the challenging topic, Clarke and Claflin’s performances in the film and their characters’ chemistry make it one of the best most recent love stories.
Will (Claflin) is hit by a car and left paralyzed and confined to a wheelchair. His mother hires Lou (Clarke) to be a friend to Will due to her happy nature. The two could not be more opposite, but you know what they say, opposites attract. This is exactly what happens as Will and Lou spend time together. They both learn from one another and help each other get through their lives.
